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South Korean President Moon Jae-in and North Korean leader Kim Jong-un meeting during the inter-Korean summit at the House of Peace in Panmunjom on Apr. 27, 2018. Moon is accompanied by Im Jong-seok, then presidential chief of staff, and National Intelligence Service Director Suh Hoon; Kim is accompanied by Kim Yo-jong, first deputy director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), and Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the WPK Central Committee. (photo pool)

North Korea’s state-run newspaper the Rodong Sinmun reported on June 9 that the orders to completely severe all lines of communication between South and North Korea were given by Kim Yo-jong, first deputy director of the Central Committee of the Workers’ Party of Korea (WPK), and Kim Yong-chol, vice chairman of the WPK Central Committee, during a meeting with departments handling South Korean affairs on June 8.

Kim Yo-jong was the author of the June 4 statement that initiated North Korea’s aggressive drive against the South over the past week, a drive triggered by defector groups launching balloons carrying propaganda leaflets into the North. Also back in the limelight is Kim Yong-chol, who has been closely involved with South Korean affairs for more than 30 years, since the inter-Korean high-level talks in 1989-1992.

Numerous aspects of the Kim Yo-jong and Kim Yong-chol duo are worth addressing. Given North Korea’s national slogan of “unification of the fatherland,” the ultimate authority for South Korean affairs resides with the one-and-only “supreme dignity” and “beloved leader” Kim Jong-un, officially the chairman of the State Affairs Commission, while the practical side of inter-Korean affairs is entrusted to the head of the WPK United Front Department. Therefore, a meeting of departments handling South Korean affairs should normally be presided over by the director of the United Front Department.

But Jang Kum-chol — who appears to be the director of the United Front Department, South Korea’s Unification Ministry said on June 9 — wasn’t mentioned in the Rodong Sinmun’s report. Even if Kim Yo-jong is effectively Pyongyang’s leader in South Korean affairs, as a United Front Department spokesperson said in a June 5 statement, the power structure demands that the meeting be presided over by the director of the United Front Department or someone of higher rank, said a former high-ranking official who’s knowledgeable about the North Korean power structure.

That’s apparently why the Rodong Sinmun mentioned Kim Yong-chol prior to Kim Yo-jong as the person presiding over the meeting and giving instructions therein. “We can’t rule out the possibility that Kim Yong-chol has been restored to his post as director of the United Front Department,” the former official said.

The fact that Kim Yo-jong and Kim Yong-chol have taken center stage in orchestrating North Korea’s shift toward a hardline stance on South Korea can also be interpreted in a different light. The two figures visited South Korea as part of a high-level delegation to the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February 2018, where they met with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and delivered a personal letter from Kim Jong-un, which led to progress in inter-Korean relations. They were also present during Moon and Kim’s three summits in 2018 (on Apr. 27, May 26, and Sept. 18-20). In short, they are intimate associates of Kim Jong-un who have been closely involved in South and North Korea’s push toward reconciliation and cooperation since 2018.

Considering that the North Korean government regards the past two years as such a failure that it has to start treating South Korea as an “enemy,” the North Korean system requires that someone take responsibility for that failure. According to some analysts, that’s exactly what Kim Yo-jong and Kim Yong-chol have done by taking center stage.

“Since one of the characteristics of Kim Jong-un’s leadership is his focus on results, he would normally have to hold Kim Yo-jong and Kim Yong-chol accountable, but he can’t do that to Kim Yo-jong,” said a respected veteran of inter-Korean affairs. That leads to the troubling possibility that South Korea can expect harsh words and actions from Kim Yo-jong and Kim Yong-chol.

Others have come to different conclusions. “Kim Yo-jong probably wasn’t trying to prove her loyalty when she took such overt action. If Moon Jae-in makes a bold decision to increase autonomy in inter-Korean relations, I think there’s still a path forward,” the former official suggested hopefully.

By Lee Je-hun, senior staff writer

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